Testimony

"In the bestselling tradition of Presumed Innocent--the 1987 debut novel that made him "one of the major writers in America" (NPR)--comes what may be Scott Turow's best thriller yet... Bill ten Boom has walked out on everything he thought was important to him: his career, his wife, Kindle County, even his country. Still, when he is tapped to examine the disappearance of an entire Gypsy refugee camp--unsolved for ten years--he feels drawn to what will become the most elusive case of his career. In order to uncover what happened during the apocalyptic chaos after the Bosnian War, Boom must navigate a host of suspects ranging from Serb paramilitaries to organized crime gangs to the U.S. government, while also maneuvering among the alliances and treacheries of those connected to the case: Morgan Merriwell, a disgraced U.S. Major General; Ferko Rincic, the massacre's sole survivor; and Esma Czarni, an alluring barrister with secrets to protect. A master of the legal thriller, Scott Turow has returned with his most irresistibly confounding and satisfying novel yet"--

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This story is a true to life, sober narrative that begins in the Hague with one witness’s testimony about a war crime that occurred 10 years prior to the investigation by the ICC (International Crimes Court). The beginning of the book introduces us to a fifty-year-old man, who is a married, successful prosecuting attorney. Suddenly, he resigns from his well-paying job as a partner in a prosperous law firm, walks away from his unfulfilling marriage, leaves the United States, and is lured to accept a position to head the investigation of a war crime for the International Crimes Court in the Hague.
“Testimony” is the type of book not all readers will find enjoyable. Some may quickly become bored or distracted. For me, this type of books requires greater concentration and mental effort to stay focused. While reading, I frequently search for word definitions, anachronisms, and slang terminology or view maps of unfamiliar countries. In addition, it may be helpful to make “notes to myself”. If I am overwhelmed with information, I take a break, and then reread parts of the book to ensure I have a good grasp on a complicated story.
This story is engaging, complex, suspenseful and demanding. It involves international law, politics, and military conduct. It can quickly change from erotic and romantic, to heinous descriptions of war atrocities, genocide, corruption, and greed. There is an intense scene where the suspense is almost unbearable; intermingled with tension and intensity are quiet conversations where masks are removed, truths are revealed and philosophical pondering remains inconclusive. I found the ending to be most satisfying.
The book required exhaustive research, numerous interviews, and background material on the military, governments, and international policy. Turow did a fantastic job with his usual gold standard delivering insightful and entertaining literary excellence.

Turow is pretty much the best writing in the genre of the legal thriller, and this time he adds even deeper human significance to his tale of history, war crimes, and cover-ups. As usual, his characters are deep, well-etched, and flawed; also as per his usual the twisted human plotlines will continue to surprise the reader until the final pages.

This story isn't really very compelling. The central plot, that hundreds of Roma people were buried in a mine without a trace and that years later there's drama about unearthing them, is simply not believable, given modern forensic anthropology. The romance in the novel is clumsy and a little aimless. Why does the woman who is object of the romance simply drop out of the story with no part in the resolution? It's not very well done.

Turow has written some great courtroom thrillers including Presumed Innocent. In this, his latest novel, he is trying something different with limited success. This books deals with a fictional mass murder of Gypsies in Bosnia and the investigation of the potential genocide by an American attorney working for the International Criminal Court. Along the way, there is also a backstory about the recently divorced lawyer's attempts at finding romance. The book is way too long, unlike Turow's past books, there is virtually no court-room suspense, and the ending is totally predictable and boring. I'm giving it two stars, which is being generous. Read his prior books, but I wouldn't waste time on this one!